1887. j DwiGHT 011 the Summer Birds of Cape Breton Island. \ C 



I expected to find more Warblers than I did, the Black-throated 

 Green, the Magnolia, the Myrtle, and the Black-and-White 

 Warblers being the only ones that could be called fairly com- 

 mon. They were often associated with Hudsonian Chickadees, 

 Golden-crowned Kinglets, and a few Black-capped Chickadees, 

 Many of the species noted were leading about noisy young birds 

 that had much more to say for themselves than their more dis- 

 creet parents, although few songs of any sort were heard. The 

 Slate-colored Junco trilled once in a great while, but I did not 

 hear the White-throated Sparrow nor the Hermit Thrush even 

 once, and I saw little of them in consequence. I met with 

 the Chipping Sparrow but once. This was at Whycocomagh, 

 twenty miles southwest of Baddeck, where on August n I saw 

 a family. Here, too, I saw the first flock of Swallows (mostly 

 Bank and Cliff Swallows) ostentatiously ready to migrate. The 

 latter species was still breeding on barns in two localities I 

 visited, but not abundantly. There were not many nests, all 

 told. Barn and White-bellied Swallows were fairly abundant. 

 Several species of Sparrows, Goldfinches, Purple Finches, and 

 Rusty Blackbirds were to be found almost daily about the fields 

 and swampy 'runs,' and a few Chimney Swifts and Night- 

 hawks were occasionally seen. The Kingbird, Bobolink, and 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak were each met with once, and most of 

 the other species mentioned came under my notice only occa- 

 sionally. Ravens are said to be common farther north. I saw 

 but one. Crows and Robins abounded. Every day or two 

 I would see an Eagle sailing overhead, and those identified were 

 Bald Eagles. Woodpeckers were scarce. The Ruffed Grouse 

 of the region as well as the Canada Grouse were very tame. 

 One da}' I drove by a pair of the latter .at the roadside, momen- 

 tarily mistaking them for a pair of speckled bantams. The male 

 was puffed up and strutting about much like a miniature turkey- 

 cock, while the female, and a young one two-thirds grown, 

 looked on in admiration. 



I may say in conclusion that the weather during my stay was 

 mostly bright and pleasant, the thermometer daily in the seven- 

 ties, and fresh breezes prevailing. 



I might advance several plausible reasons why I did not find 

 other species that I have often met with in some parts of Nova 

 Scotia and New Brunswick, but I prefer not to theorize, and 

 close with a list of those that actually came under my notice. 



